Washington, D.C.

Bishops plan to name nun to sex abuse panel

U.S. Catholic bishops are planning to appoint a nun to their lay review board on sexual abuse, a step that could undermine the watchdog panel’s independence, several of its members charged this week.

The board of 12 prominent Roman Catholic laypeople, appointed by the bishops two years ago, has had several public confrontations with the church hierarchy. Its first chairman, former Oklahoma Republican governor Frank Keating, resigned in June 2003 after comparing a few bishops to “La Cosa Nostra” in their devotion to secrecy.

A spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Monsignor Francis Maniscalco, declined to confirm or deny that the bishops intend to appoint a nun to the high-profile board. “It’s a confidential process,” he said.

California

Small plane crashes, hitting occupied car

A replica of an antique plane crashed seconds after takeoff Saturday, just missing an airport control tower and slamming into a parked car that had two women inside.

No one was killed, but a man in the plane suffered burns.

The 1986 Bushmaster broke apart on impact and erupted in flames, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Jerry Johnston.

One man suffered third-degree burns to his legs and hands; the other person in the plane suffered bruises, Fullerton Police Sgt. Steve Matson said. The women in the car suffered minor injuries when their air bags inflated, Matson said.

San Diego

Shock jock pioneer dies

Bill Ballance, a radio personality whose bold 1970s talk show tackled relationships and sex and helped pave the way for today’s shock jocks, has died at age 85.

Ballance died at home Thursday, according to his son, Jim. He had been in failing health since undergoing quadruple bypass surgery and suffering a stroke in June 2002.

Ballance’s “Feminine Forum” became one of the most popular shows in Los Angeles after its 1971 debut on KGBS-AM.

Racy and confessional, the show drew many listeners with topics such as “Are you a red-hot mama?”